A new handbook "Judicial Determination of Capacity of Older Adults in Guardianship Proceedings: A Handbook for Judges" is available on the APA Office on Aging website www.apa.org/pi/aging.
This book is a companion to "Assessment of Older Adults with Diminished Capacity: A Handbook for Lawyers" and was written by an ABA-APA working group on the assessment of capacity of older adults. The judicial handbook was developed with the National College of Probate Judges. It was written by Jennifer Moye, Erica Wood, Daniel Marson and Charles Sabatino. Jennifer Moye was the editor.
This handbook was written specifically for the needs of judges but may be of interest to clinicians who work with older adults. As judges face the task of integrating information from multiple sources and crafting guardianship orders specific to the needs of the older adult, this handbook presents a framework for capacity and applies it to five steps in adult guardianship. Model forms for various professionals involved in testimony, including court investigators and clinicians are provided, along with "fact sheets" on various relevant issues such as "temporary and reversible causes of confusion" and "strategies for improving practice in your courts".
Please feel free to inform your colleagues of the availability of this useful document.
Deborah DiGilio, MPH Director, Office on Aging American Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 (202) 336-6135 (202) 336-6040 FAX DDiGilio@apa.org http://www.apa.org/pi/aging
